Fire & Moonlight
by Lurexia
Summary: Haku was considered a "failed version of Miku". Everyone in her class told her that wasn't true, even Miku herself. But she still seemed sad. That is, until she meets Akaito, a hot-headed, complete opposite of Haku. Now, how is it that SHE fell for HIM?
1. Prologue

_**Prologue:**_

**Main Characters:**

_**Yowane Haku:  
**_17 years old. Is classmates with Miku, Kaito, Luka, and some other Vocaloids. Doesn't like violence. Loves drinking soda (she's underage here, so I changed it to soda). Isn't particularly depressed, but just sad. Doesn't think she adds up to anything the others can do. Is actually quite nice, sweet, and gentle.

_**Shion Akaito:  
**_18 years old. Is in the same class as Haku. Loves causing trouble. Loves eating Habanero peppers. Is Kaito's cousin. Very energetic and quite the playboy. Hot-headed. Moves to the school after parents pass away.

* * *

**NOTE:  
**This will be a little short (well, compared to my other stories). I don't really know _everything_ Haku and Akaito, so please bear with me. But I'll try my best. I'm not very good at making summaries, so the summary isn't that great. Just read the story (when I post it up) and you'll understand.


	2. Chapter 1

** Chapter 1 -**

** "Common Ground"**

As I walked through this unfamiliar hallway, I took a deep breath. Kaito seemed to notice and smiled reassuringly at me.

"You don't need to be nervous, Akaito!" he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "All of my- I mean, _our _classmates are super nice! No need to worry!"

I sighed once again. "I know, but..."

We continued walking through the hallway. I still wasn't used to it here. I mean, I just moved here two days ago! I knew my cousin, and I liked messing with him, but I never knew that I would have to _live _with him! I never knew that my parents would-

"Here we are!" he said, interrupting my thoughts. The sign on the door read: 'Class V-1'. "You ready, Akaito?"

I sighed again. Kaito frowned and shook my shoulders. I stared at him, wondering why the hell he was shaking my shoulders.

"Come on! Where's that courage that you always had more than me? Now, let's go inside. Who knows, there might be some girls in there that you like," he said with a laugh.

I smirked. "Huh, maybe. They won't be able to help themselves to _me_!" I said, back to my regular self.

Kaito smiled and opened the door. Inside, I saw Kaito's classmates. It was a small class, so there wasn't that many students. They came over to us when we walked in.

"Hey, Kaito!" an aquamarine-haired girl said happily. "Morning!"

"Who's this?" said a yellow-haired girl. "A new student?"

They all turned their eyes toward me. Kaito pointed to me and said, "Guys, this is my cousin, Shion Akaito. He's gonna start going here now."

They all inspected me with their eyes.

"Well, he _does _look a lot like you," a yellow-haired boy said. He looked like he could be the yellow-haired girl's brother or something.

"Nice to meet you!" the aquamarine-haired girl said, extending her hand for a handshake. "My name's Hatsune Miku!"

I was paralyzed. I was too nervous to move! Then, Kaito nudged me and whispered in my ear.

"Just show them who the _real _Akaito is. The girls might not like it, but they'll get used to it, and you'll be friends with everyone!"

So, being my "normal" self, I bent down, took Miku's hand, and kissed it. "Nice to meet you, beautiful."

Miku blushed as I smirked. Then, a hand came over her face and pushed her back.

"Hey!" she yelled.

"Watch it," the aquamarine-haired boy said to me. He seemed dead serious; it kinda scared me. "That's my sister you're talking to."

Then he just smirked and looked laid-back. "She's everything _but _beautiful," he said, laughing.

Everyone else laughed with him. "Hey! Onii-san! (Older brother!)" Miku yelled.

"Yo," Miku's brother said, 'saluting' me. "Name's Hatsune Mikuo. As you just heard, I'm Miku's older bro. Nice to meet ya."

This guy seemed alright with me. I saluted him back and turned to the next person introducing them self to me. Next was the yellow-haired girl.

"Hello!" she said. She seemed really energetic. "I'm Kagamine Rin! Nice to meet you!" She pulled the boy to her side. "And this is my twin brother, Len!"

Len waved towards me. "Nice to meet you," he said.

I _thought_ they looked the same. I waved towards the both of them. Now, a brown-haired girl and a pink-haired girl came up to me.

"Yo! I'm Meiko! And this is Megurine Luka!" the brown-haired girl said, pointing to the pink-haired one.

"Hello," Luka said.

I smiled at Meiko, then I did the same thing to Luka as I did to Miku. I took her hand, bent down, and kissed it. Luka blushed slightly, but then, (yet another) protective guy of the girl came and faced me.

"Hey! Luka's mine!" said the guy with purple hair. He seemed kinda mad but not "I wanna kill you!" mad. More like "Why didn't she slap _you_?" mad. I'm guessing she slaps him.

"Gakupo...," Luka said, crossing her arms and closing her eyes in frustration. "I _never _said that I was yours!"

"But Luka!" Gakupo tried to protest. "We were meant to be! It's our destiny! You cannot change destiny!" (Now I see why she slaps him. Heck, I want to hit this guy, too!)

She sighed. "Whatever, just introduce yourself to the new guy."

"Oh, that's right!" he said, instantly turning to me with a huge grin on his face. "Hello, my name's Kamui Gakupo. Nice to meet you!"

"O-oh... N-nice to meet you...," I said, confused. He was mad at me just a few seconds ago...

"Is that everyone?" I said to Kaito.

"Yeah!" he said. "Well, except for the teacher. Kiyoteru-sensei!"

A brown-haired (or black, I can't tell) man walked towards us. He wore glasses and had a brown clipboard in his hand.

"Yes, Kaito? What is it?" Then his eyes flashed to me. "Oh! You must be the new student, yes?"

I nodded. He smiled and said, "I'm Hiyama Kiyoteru-sensei. I hope you like it here in my class."

He nodded and went back to what he was writing on the board. Everyone turned their attention back to me again.

"So-" Miku started to say.

But she was interrupted by the door opening. Then, two girls walked in. One had yellow hair, and the other, silver. They were called over by Rin.

"Neru, Haku, come!" she said. "Come and greet the new student!"

The two girls walked over to us. They looked like an odd pair. The yellow one looked like she couldn't keep her eyes off of her phone, and the silver one looked kinda sad for some reason.

"Hello...," the yellow one mumbled as she texted on her phone. (Who is she texting?) "...Nice to meet you... I'm Akita Neru..."

The girl went to her desk, put her legs up, and resumed texting. The silver-girl stepped up now.

"Hello...," she mumbled, seeming kinda shy. "My... My name is... Yowane Haku... N-nice to meet you..."

"Haku! Come on, you don't have to be so shy!" Meiko shouted at her.

Meiko slapped Haku back's, causing her to lurch forward. There was no one else in front of her, so my instincts took over. I quickly went in front of her and caught her before she hit the floor. Her face blushed red as I she was in my arms.

"A-are you alright?" I asked her.

She gave me a quick nod and scrambled to get off of me.

"H-Haku! S-sorry! I didn't mean to make you fall!" Meiko said, scratching her head in embarrassment.

"It's alright, Meiko...," she said, looking down.

I got up on my feet and dusted off the dirt from my coat. Haku turned to me.

"Th... Thanks...," she said. She seemed like she was trying to say my name, but she didn't know what it was!

"Akaito!" shouted Rin, helping her out.

"Akaito...," Haku repeated.

Then Haku went to her desk by the window and took out a bottle of something I didn't know. I think it was...soda? Maybe it was. Hmm...

"So... Akaito," Miku said. "Sorry to change the subject, but why did you decide to come live with Kaito?"

"Miku!" Kaito said, kinda angry.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Don't just ask-"

I put my hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Kaito," I said to him.

He looked shocked. "A... Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly.

I just nodded and turned back to Miku. "It's not really _decided to_, but _forced to_," I said to her.

She tilted her head in confusion. "'Forced to'? What do you mean 'forced to'?"

So, I told them what had happened. How my parents got into a car crash (what _stupid _drivers they have these days), and they how they passed away soon after. Of course, I didn't like the idea of living without my parents, no matter _how _much I annoyed them. They still loved me, and I loved them... Oh, where am I _going _with this?

Anyway, after they died, I had to find a relative to live with. Now, (being _me_), I didn't want to cause anyone any trouble (wait, that isn't me at all! I _love _causing trouble!). But Kaito and his parents heard about it, and soon after, they took me in. I'm an only child, so I'm sure they wouldn't mind. But still...

They looked at me sympathetically (which I hated when people did it to me).

"Oh, I see...," said Miku. "I'm sorry for bringing it up..."

"N-no! It's alright! Well, yeah, I _do_ feel sad. I mean, who wouldn't? But... I'm learning how to deal with it... Little by little..."

My eyes drifted to the floor. Kaito looked at me, worried. I had never told him that last part. But... Now he knows, right?

"Hey...," Rin said, catching my attention. "Why does that... sound familiar...?"

"Because," Len said. "It happened to Haku, too. She lost her dad in a car crash, too."

Really? Haku... The silver-haired one? She heard her name and looked up.

"Huh? Oh... Yeah...," she said, a tone of sadness in her voice.

Maybe that's the reason why she looks kinda sad... But, in a way, she was lucky. She only lost _one_ parent. _I _lost _both _of them... But Haku...

"Well!" shouted Gakupo out of nowhere (which kinda startled me and everyone else). "That's enough sadness for one day! They always said that too much sadness is bad for your health! Ha ha ha!"

We turned to Gakupo. We were all probably thinking, 'Who the hell said that?' (Or at least _I _was.)

He just laughed and went back to his seat. Meiko and Luka did the same thing. Rin smiled at me, Len waved, and then they, too, went back to their seats. Mikuo was already at his seat (when did he do _that_?). Then, Miku turned to smile at me.

"Well, class is going to start soon, so we better go to our seats. Hope you have a good time here!"

She smiled once more and went to her seat. That just left me and Kaito.

"Well, I gotta go to my seat. I know you wouldn't want to sit next to _me_, so you can sit anywhere you'd like. Talk to you after class!"

He patted me on the back and went to his seat. I looked around and found a seat I liked: near the window. So I sat down and got settled. Then I realized something: I was sitting right behind Haku. She was still looking out the window, a look of sadness on her face. I hope that little conversation didn't bring up any bad memories... And I wonder _when _it happened to her... Huh, I guess I know what _I'm _gonna do after class.


	3. Chapter 2

** Chapter 2 -**

**"A Bet"**

"...and that's it for now," Kiyoteru-sensei said as the bell rang. "See you later, everyone."

We all closed our books and gathered our things. Then, we all headed out for lunch. I wasn't that hungry, so I just grabbed a sandwich, some Habanero peppers (thank goodness they got this here!), and a can of soda. At the end of the line, I saw Kaito, Miku, and Rin calling me, so I quickly paid for my food and carried my tray over to them.

"Hey, Akaito! Come, sit here!" Kaito said, patting the empty seat next to him. I sat next to him and quietly chewed on my sandwich as I watched the others talk.

"Hey, Rin," Miku said. "Do you know who you want your partner to be for the song project?"

"Why, Len, of course!" she said, hugging Len (who was sitting next to her). "He _is _my twin brother, after all!"

"You want me to be your partner because I'm smart...," Len mumbled under his breath. "You'll dump all of the work on me, just like all the other projects before..."

"No! That's not why, Len!" Rin yelled. "This project is actually gonna be _fun_! It's actually something up all of our leagues!"

"She's right," Kaito said. "I like this project, too, myself. It's rare that we get to actually _sing _for a project, even though we _are _Vocaloids."

"Yeah!" Meiko agreed. "I wish Kiyoteru-sensei would assign more song projects, though..."

"But at least we get a project like this! I know it'll be fun!" Miku said. (Ever the positive one, huh?)

Everyone nodded in agreement, everyone except for me (but I was too occupied with eating my Habanero peppers). Miku noticed and tried to cheer me up.

"How about you, Akaito?" she said with a smile. "Who do _you _want as a partner?"

Then everyone's attention turned to me. Oh, boy, I'm getting nervous again. I turned to Kaito, pleading with my eyes on what to do. Kaito smiled and mouthed: "Just be yourself." I took a big breath and turned back to Miku. I took her hand and held it to my face.

"I don't know, but I hope it will be someone as lovely as you, Miku," I said with a sly smile.

Miku must have blush a few shades of red before Mikuo smirked and said, "Wow, your eyes must be _really _bad, Akaito."

"Mikuo!" Miku yelled as we all laughed, even me.

"Well, that _may _be true, Mikuo. You never know," I said, smiling.

Mikuo and the rest laughed again. Miku sat down and pouted. We all continued talking for a few minutes. Then, I realized that it felt like someone was missing. I looked down out table and spotted Neru, texting whoever the hell it was with her yellow cellphone. I looked next to her, and I saw an empty seat. Who was with her this morning...? ... Oh, that's right! It was Haku!

Then I mentally "face-palmed". Damn! I forgot to talk to her after class this morning! I looked around the field and I saw Haku, sitting under a tree, looking sad. Damn it! I quickly finished my lunch (which I almost choked on) and got up.

"Akaito?" Kaito said with a puzzled look. "Are you done already?"

"Huh? O-oh! Y-yeah!" I stuttered. "D-don't worry! I'll be back before class s-starts!"

"Okay then...," he said.

He turned back to the others, who didn't seem to notice that I was leaving. I quickly dumped my tray, grabbed another can of soda, and walked over to Haku. She didn't seem to notice me, so I just sat down next to her. It looked like she was pondering over something. But she looked kinda sad and lonely...

"A-Akaito?" she said, startled. "W-Why are you l-looking at me like th-that?"

Crap, she noticed me! I quickly tried to explain.

"O-oh! I just came over to talk for a while!" I said.

"Oh...," she said, going back to looking sad. "Well, what did you want to talk about?"

I looked down, trying to find the words to say. But, for some reason, I didn't know what to say! What was I supposed to say? Should I apologize for her losing her dad? But if she wasn't thinking about that right now, and I make her sad again? Argh! I don't what to say! I put my head down in my defeat, defeat in a battle that wasn't even a real battle!

"A... Akaito?" Haku said after a few seconds of silence. "You wanted to talk about something...?"

"Y-yeah... I'm sorry."

"S-sorry? S-sorry for w-what?" she stuttered, puzzled.

"This morning, when they asked about my parents... I saw that you were kinda depressed when Rin brought up what happened to your dad... I'm really sorry, Haku."

"O-oh... Well, I have to admit, I _did _feel a little sad when they mentioned it... But I got over it. You have it much harder. I lost only my dad almost a year ago. But _you_... _You _lost _both _of your parents just _recently_. I'm sorry for your loss..."

"It's okay..."

Now it was _awkwardly _silent. Haku looked one way, and I looked the other. Then, out of boredom, I tossed the can of soda I bought in the air, catching it and tossing it again. I don't even know why I bought it! I was already full, anyways.

"A...," Haku said, but she stopped for some reason.

"Yeah?"

"A... Another can of soda, Akaito?" she said with a slight smile. "I thought you just finished one."

I didn't want to seem stupid, buying another can of soda without even intending to drink it, so I tried to think of something to say. Then I realized something.

"Well, I saw you drinking this earlier, so I thought I'd give you one now," I said, smiling.

I handed her the can, and she hesitantly took it. She was about to open it, but she stopped.

"R-really? A-are you sure, Akaito?"

"Of course! Go ahead!"

"Th-thank you..."

She popped the can open and sipped a bit of soda. Then there was that awkward silence again...

"W-well!" I said, standing up, trying to break the silence. "As Gakupo said earlier, too much sad stuff will ruin your health! (I think that's what he said...) Though I don't know who the hell says that."

"Ha ha, yeah, Gakupo will just say things like that, but I know he means well...," she said, smiling a bit.

She looked down, and it seemed as if she was blushing! So I bent down to her face and teased her.

"Oh, is someone falling Gakupo now?"

"What?" she said, a little mad. "No! I don't like anyone! And Gakupo and Luka have a 'thing' going on anyway."

"Hmm? Okay then... Whatever you say...," I said sarcastically.

"Oh, what about _you_ then, Akaito?" she said, a little energized now. "Do _you _like anyone yet?"

I laughed. "Yes, it's you," I said, touching her hair playfully.

She swatted my hand away. "Yeah, right. What about Miku and Luka?"

"Ha ha ha, right, right. Those two, too."

She smiled and said, "Akaito, you player, you. I bet you can't get a girl to _really _like you, not with the way you act _n_ow."

I raised my eyebrow in interest. "Is that a _challenge_, Haku?"

"Yes, yes it is," she said, standing up now.

"Fine then, I bet you can't get a guy to _really _like you by the end of the year, loner Haku," I said, smiling.

"And _I _bet that you can't get a girl to _really _like you by the end of the year, playboy Akaito," she said, smiling, too.

We extended our hands and shook hands just as the bell rang. And just like that, Haku and I were set as friends, at least until the end of the year.


	4. Chapter 3

** Chapter 3 - **

** "Project"**

"Alright, class. Take your seats now," Kiyoteru-sensei said when we came in from lunch.

We all sat in at our desks and got settled. Haku turned around for a moment and smiled at me. I was a little surprised, but I still smiled back. It seemed that our little friendship is still going on. (Though I doubt it would've already ended, since we just shook hands a few minutes ago.)

"Okay, now, before you all left for lunch, I told you that we were going to have a song project , right?" he said to us.

"Yup!" Rin answered, already eager to claim Len as her partner. "And you said that we had to either sing a duet or in a group!"

"Yes, that's correct, Rin. Now, while you were at lunch, I choose the partners and groups for the project."

"Aww!" most of us groaned.

"Don't worry," Kiyoteru-sensei said. "I'm not _evil_. I choose groups/partners that you'll ALL like."

Everyone sighed with relief. I guess they trusted sensei enough to think he knows what everyone wants. What a cool teacher.

"Okay then," he said, propping up his glasses and reading from his clipboard. "I'll start announcing the assignments."

Everyone was really eager to see who they would get. Well, there's only 11 of us here, so...

"First group, Miku, Rin, and Len."

"YAY!" Miku and Rin yelled.

Len didn't say anything, but he kinda smiled. I guess he kinda wanted Rin in a group, too. Well, they _are_ twins.

"By the way, you guys are the only group. The rest are partners. Next, Kaito with Meiko."

"Ooh!" said Miku and Rin. "Meiko got Kaito!"

Kaito just smiled at Meiko like an adorable fool. Meiko blushed a bit and hit his head.

"You better do what I say!" she said. "I don't wanna fail this!"

Kaito just laughed. "Ha ha, okay, Meiko!"

Meiko sighed and smiled. Then, Kiyoteru-sensei went on to the next pair.

"Alright, now we have Luka with Gakupo."

"What?" asked Luka, obviously unhappy.

"_YES! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE! LUKA!_" Gakupo yelled out of sheer happiness (or whatever the hell he was on). He tried to leap into her arms (or onto her, I don't know).

"Gakupo!" Luka yelled, kicking his face away. "Shut up!"

"Come, Luka! Let us sing together!" he said totally ignoring what she just did.

"Kiyoteru-sensei!"

"Gakupo, if you don't stop harassing Luka, I'll assign you to someone else!"

Gakupo instantly sat down obediently. "Yes, I understand, sensei!"

Whoa... This dude is... Is he... _High _or something? I just don't understand this guy... (Ha ha, poor Luka.)

Kiyoteru-sensei let out a sigh. "Anyways, moving along. Haku and Neru, you two are partners."

Haku looked a little relieved to be paired with a girl, while Neru was just texting away. Ha ha, looks like this bet will be easy!

"And that leaves Mikuo and Akaito."

Whoa, I got Mikuo? I turned to look at him, and so did he. At first, we both looked a little surprised. But then, he chuckled and said, "You better have a good voice, new guy."

I smiled and said, "You, too, guy-with-an-annoying-sister."

"Hey!" complained Miku. "I heard that!"

"You were meant to," Mikuo teased, laughing.

"Grr...," Miku said.

"Alright, class," Kiyoteru-sensei. "So to make it more interesting, each group/pair must have a specific genre of music for their song. And no group will have the same genre, by the way. Okay, Miku, Rin, Len, which genre would you like?"

"Hmm...," Miku said.

"Uhmm... Which would you like, Len?" Rin asked.

"Well... How about pop? Since all three of us are pretty good at that genre," suggested Len.

"Yeah! Kiyoteru-sensei, we want pop!" Miku said.

"Okay... Miku's group... Pop...," he said, scribbling it down on his clipboard. "Next, Meiko and Kaito. What genre would you two like?"

"I want something about ice cream!" Kaito yelled happily.

Meiko punched him in the head and said, "No! We're doing a kind of that I want!"

"Y-yes, Meiko...," Kaito said, sad. But he had a smile on his face. (What the...?)

"Which would be...?" sensei asked.

"Uhmm... A pop/rock song!" Meiko answered.

"Okay, Meiko and Kaito is pop/rock... Luka? Gakupo? What's yours?"

Luka just sighed. But Gakupo stood up and yelled, "I shall do a love song with my precious Luka!"

"_Hell no_!"Luka said. "I'll sing _anything _but a _mushy love song_!"

"What about a _funny _love song?" suggested Rin.

"Yeah," Mikuo agreed. "It'd be funny if you make a song where Luka keeps rejecting Gakupo."

"She _already _does that...," said Len.

Luka sighed again. "I guess... As long as I get to beat him up, I'm good."

"And as long as I get to sing _any _love song with my precious Luka, I'm INCREDIBLE!"

"I'm not yours!" Luka yelled as she slapped him.

We all laughed. Kiyoteru-sensei just chuckled and said, "Alright, time to move on, people. Neru, Haku, what genre will you guys do?"

"Haku," said Neru, (finally!) putting down her phone down for once. "Pick whatever. I don't really mind."

"Okay then...," said Haku. "How about jazz/pop?"

"Okay," Neru said, smiling before she went back to texting.

"Neru and Haku... Jazz..." Then sensei looked at me and Mikuo. "Mikuo, Akaito? Which genre are you two going to do?"

I looked at Mikuo and asked," Well, what should we do?"

"Hmm... How about pop/hip-hop?" Mikuo suggested.

"Yeah! That's great!" I said with a smile.

"Alright...," Kiyoteru-sensei said, scribbling the last of his notes. "So we have Miku, Rin and Len doing pop, Meiko and Kaito doing pop/rock, Luka and Gakupo doing a funny love song (Is that even a genre?), Neru and Haku doing jazz/pop, and Mikuo and Akaito doing pop/hip-hop."

We all smiled and nodded in agreement. Kiyoteru-sensei nodded and continued.

"So, I'll leave the rest of the day to you guys, so that you can plan out the details of your project. But after today, you and your partner/group must find your own time. Understood?"

"Yes!" we answered (or rather, Miku and Rin shouted).

"Please just ask me if you have any questions," he said before returning to his desk.

Then, everyone went to their groups and started to emerse themselves in conversation. I walked over to Mikuo and sat down on a desk next to him.

"So," he started. "Any ideas, Akaito?"

"Well, actually..."

Then we began to emerse ourselves in conversation, just like everyone else.

* * *

**Sorry for the short chapter! If I made chapter 3 and 4 together, it would've been REALLY long. (I think.) So, for now, this is just to let you know the "situation" right now. And you guys might have thought that Akaito and Haku would be grouped together, right? WRONG! (I'm sorry, I'm sorry for shouting! *bows repeatedly*) Well, I can't put down what most people would be thinking, right? That's not interesting at all! _But..._**


	5. Chapter 4

** Chapter 4 -**

** "A Switch"**

"Welcome to the Fall Festival!" said an announcer over a megaphone. "Please, enjoy yourselves!"

As I walked around the park, I took in all the sights. There were many snack booths, just as many game booths, and a big stage at the center of the park. There were many people, little kids with their parents, teenagers with their friends, and, of course, couples.

I just came, and it was only 6:00. I didn't know what do to first, so I just decided to walk around until I saw something interesting. And actually, after a few minutes, I did. It was a game booth, one where you had to have a partner to win a prize. Most of the people who were trying the game (most were couples) weren't doing so well! It looked pretty hard, but maybe that's because the prize was pretty big. It was...ten cases of (and I quote): "the best soda in all of Japan, maybe even the world"! (What the...? Who _the heck_ made up such a _cheesy_ line?)

I don't know why, but the soda kinda looked familiar... *flashback to school*... Oh! That's the soda that Haku always drinks! No wonder why it seemed so familiar.

Then, I heard someone sigh next to me. I turned to look at the person. She was just standing there, looking at the booth. She seemed sad, and it looked like she was here alone.

"Haku?" I said to her.

She lifted her head in surprised and looked at me. "Akaito? What are you doing here?"

"I was just relaxing a bit. Mikuo and I just finished the song project yesterday. It was so tiring! So I decided to just relax by going to this festival."

"Ah, you like to relax after a big project, too?" she asked with a smile. "Yeah, same here. Neru and I finished our project yesterday, too."

"Ha ha, I guess we're the same that way!" Then I took a look around. "Are you alone? Shouldn't Neru be here with you?"

"Oh, Neru's way of relaxing is just texting away at home," Haku said, laughing. "So, yeah, I'm alone... What about you, Akaito? Isn't Mikuo with you?"

"Ha, well, _his _way of relaxing is just crashing at home!" I said, laughing as well. "So, I guess we're both loners here."

"Ha ha, yeah.

Then we both turned back to the booth. I saw some kind of..._eagerness_ in Haku's eyes.

"Hey, Haku," I said. "Isn't that booth offering ten cases of your favorite soda?"

"Yeah...," she said dreamily.

I'm guessing that she wants the prize pretty bad, (considering the way she's looking at it). But she couldn't possibly join, since she didn't have a partner... Hmm...

I grabbed Haku's arm and rushed to the booth. I put my hand on the desk where people could register and said, "Two more people, please."

"What?" Haku asked, puzzled.

"You're in luck!" the woman at the desk said. "We have room for one more pair! Please just step in the last bumper car."

"Thank you," I said, dragging Haku to the last car.

"Akaito! What are you doing?" she asked me, a little mad.

"Come on, Haku!" I pleaded. "You came here to relax, right? So let's have fun! It couldn't hurt!"

"I don't know..."

"Come on! Trust me!"

"O... Okay then...," she said, smiling a bit.

I smiled back and continued to lead her to the last car. I got in the driver's seat and she got in passenger's seat just as they started to announce the instructions.

"Welcome to our little game that we like to call: 'Crash & Grab'!" said the announcer. "Each team will have 10 minutes to grab as many bracelets from the other teams' cars. You first need to crash into the other teams' cars and then ONLY the passenger can grab the bracelets. And to make it a little interesting, in one point of the game, we'll toss in a gold bracelet, which is worth ten bracelets! Now, are you ready? Set... GO!"

I slammed on the pedal and instantly went to the car closest to us. I crashed them into the wall hard, and Haku quickly grabbed their five bracelets. When they recovered, they were _mad._ (Ha ha! *sticks out tongue*) They tried to get revenge and crash us, but I was too quick! Just before they crashed into us, I swiftly turned to the right and crashed into another car in the process (Yes!). Haku grabbed their bracelets, and I turned around to crash into other cars.

This process continued on for the next few minutes. We were pretty much _invincible_! My great driving skills and Haku telling me the best thing to do, it was awesome! But, just as the game was about to end, some other team crashed into us out of nowhere! The girl in the passengers seat grabbed as much bracelets as she could before giving the guy a high five.

"Alright!" the announcer said just then. "Game OVER!"

"Damn it!" I said, hitting my hand on the steering wheel as the car came to a stop. Did we lose?

* * *

"Whoo!" I yelled as the announcer said our names.

"Yay, Akaito!" Haku said. "We won!"

Everyone cheered as me and Haku walked away with our prize. (Well, everyone except for the teams that lost.)

"That was so awesome!" I said, a huge grin on my face. "Wasn't it, Haku?"

"Yup!" she said, smiling just as big I as was. "Especially in the end!"

"Yeah! That team thought they won, but we beat them!"

"I can't believe that we got the gold bracelet! Lucky us!"

"Yeah! With that, we got a total of 21 bracelets, they only got 15!"

We kept talking until we reached a bench under a tree.

"Oh!" I said. "I almost forgot!"

"Hmm?" Haku asked. "You almost forgot what?"

I grabbed the cart handle and pushed it over to her. A look of surprise flashed on her face.

"Here!" I said. "Your precious soda."

"Huh? But... But we worked _together_, didn't we?" she said.

"Hmm... True, but I know how much you wanted this soda. Heck, I even just played the game just to get you this prize!"

"R-really?" she asked, stunned.

I nodded and said, "Of course! So take it!"

"O-okay then...," she said, taking the cart. "Thank you... Akaito..."

"No prob!" I said, leaning back on the bench and looking up at the night sky. "It was really fun me anyway!"

"Yeah, me too...," Haku said, smiling.

Then, as I was looking at the stars, I felt something drop on my nose. It was...water...? More and more drops of water fell from the sky, until it was downright _pouring_!

"Ah!" Haku said. "It's really raining hard!"

"Yeah!" I said. "Let's go find some shelter!"

She nodded and followed me as we looked for a place to take cover. Finally, we found one near the entrance.

"Ah, finally!" I said.

I took a quick glance at my watch. "Hmm... 8:00...," I said.

"8:00?" asked Haku. "I got to get home!"

"Oh, really? Good, cause I have to get home, too," I said. "Well..."

I grabbed her arm and said, "Let's go!"

"Huh? Go where?"

"I can't make a girl walk home alone, can I?"

"B-but..."

"But what?"

"M-my car's already here..."

She pointed to a silver car park around the curb. I dropped her arm and scratched my head in embarrassment.

"Oh! Ha ha, okay then! I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow!"

"O... O... Achoo!"

When she sneezed, she sniffled and rubbed her nose.

"Ha ha!" I laughed as I handed her my red handkerchief.

"O-oh! Th-thanks... Akaito...," she said, wiping her nose with it.

"No problem! Now..."

I pushed her towards her car and opened the door for her. "Get in before you get _sick_!"

"What about you?" she asked. "Don't you need a ride?"

"It's okay! My house is just around the corner."

She smiled and said, "Okay then. See you tomorrow, Akaito."

"See ya!" I said with a big grin.

Then I ran home under the rain as I watched her car pull away.

* * *

"Akaito!" Kaito said, walking over to me as I entered the classroom. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," I said, scratching my head. "Sorry for making you worry."

"It's okay," he said with a smile.

"Are you okay now, Akaito?" asked Mikuo

I smiled and said, "I am now. Thanks for caring."

"Of course!" Mikuo said. "And sorry, if I didn't sing yesterday, I would've got deductions, so..."

"It's alright, man," I said to him. "I understand!"

He smiled at me, glad that I forgave him.

"But you and Haku should have been here yesterday. All the songs were amazing!" Miku said.

I was a little surprised. "Haku was absent, too?"

"Yeah," said Len. "Sad, you guys missed quite a show yesterday."

"Rin, Len, and I sang a great song!" Miku said. (By the way, they said they sang something called "Melt"...? Don't ask me; I wasn't here!)

"And Meiko and I, too!" Kaito said, smiling. (What was it... They said somehting about their own version of "World is Mine"...?)

"You should have seen Luka's and Gakupo's own: 'GugureKasu'," said Mikuo, laughing.

"_I LOVED IT!_" Gakupo shouted. "And I love _you_, my sweet Luka!" I heard him say under his breath.

"I _hated _it," Luka said. "I hate you, too, Gakupo," she said under her breath. "_Especially _the last part."

"Why? What was on the last part?" I asked.

"At the end, Luka secretly admitted that she _does _love Gakupo," Mikuo said, still laughing.

"And I _hated _it!" she said. "I can't believe I sang that _stupid _song..."

"Aw, just admit it, my beautiful Luka!" said Gakupo. (Must he _always _have an adjective before he says Luka's name?) "You _do LOVE _me!"

She blushed a bit and groaned, "Ugh..." (She's _SO _tsundere for him.)

"Akaito, Haku, can you please come here?" asked Kiyoteru-sensei at his desk.

Haku and I looked at each other from across the room, a little puzzled. We went over to sensei's desk and stood in front of him.

"You two were sick yesterday, correct?" he asked, glaring at us.

Haku and I nodded slowly. Were we in trouble just for being absent? (If we were, that's pretty screwed up, man.)

After a few moments, Kiyoteru-sensei sighed and finally let up his gaze. "This project... It's a pretty big part of your grade. I don't want you two to fail..."

"I can just sing by myself, just like Mikuo did!" I said, not wanting to fail.

"Me, too! I can sing by myself! Neru did that yesterday!" said Haku.

"Yes, but..." He sighed again. "You see, I made your classmates help me grade the people yesterday. It's no problem with me, but if _they_ heard the same song again, it'll probably bore them... And _their _grading really affects your final grade..."

"Oh...," we both said at the same time.

I tried to think of a solution, but nothing came to mind. I'm guessing Haku was doing the same, since she looked deep in thought, too.

Then, out of nowhere, Kiyoteru-sensei said, "Ah! I got it!"

"Hmm?" Haku asked."What is it, sensei?"

"Yeah!" I said. "Did you come up with a solution?"

"Yes," he said. "Yes, I did."

"Well...?"

"Though it will take more time... Akaito? Haku?"

"Yes?" we said.

"You two, whether you like it or not, will be now be partners for the song project," he said.

* * *

**Alright! Fourth chapter, done! I hope you liked it! And sorry if the end seemed kinda rushed...**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey again, everyone! I'm so, so, SO sorry that I haven't updated in like 2 months! I've been busy with end of the school stuff! But now that its summer, I think I'll have time for more writing! So, I wish to finish this by the end of June or beginning of July. Don't worry, I haven't been very idle. I've already got the gist of my story in my head! Just gotta write it down! And just to make it up to you guys, I'll be uploaded 2 chapters close to each other! First is this one! Then, I'll upload chapter 6 in 3 days or less. Okay, enough blabbing! Enjoy the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 5 -**

**"Problem Solved, Here Comes Another"**

"_What_?" Haku and I exclaimed.

"Don't worry, you two," Kiyoteru-sensei said, waving his hand in the air. "I'll even assign you guys a song, if you want."

"But!" we said again, looking at each other anxiously.

"Well, it's either this, or you two fail this project," he taunted, a sly smile on his face. (What the hell? That's so messed up!)

I turned to Haku. She was looking down at the floor, an expression of uncertainty on her face. I'm guessing we felt the same way: we don't want to be partners, but we _have _to, so...

"Haku," I said to her.

She turned to me and looked into my eyes. I nodded, and, as if she understood what I meant, she nodded, too.

"Okay then. Kiyoteru-sensei, we'll do it," I said.

"Yes, we'll be partners," Haku said.

A small smile appeared on Sensei's face. I guess he _really _doesn't want us to fail. (Is it because we'll just end up back here next year, and he doesn't wanna deal with us again? Hmm...)

"Great! Now, since there's only a few genres left, let's see which ones you can do...," he said, flipping through pages on his clipboard. (Does he _always _carry that damn thing around?)

While he was doing that, I turned to Haku and said, "Alright, Loner Girl, you better not bring my grade down!"

Irritation but also playfulness flashed on her face. "And _you _better not bring _my _grade down, Playboy!"

She smiled as I gave her a big grin. Then, Kiyoteru-sensei got our attention.

"Oh, it looks like there's only one genre left."

Shock flew across both of our faces. Only _that _genre? _Nothing _else? Oh, no... I turned to Haku, who looked like the same thought was passing through her mind, too.

"I... Uh...," I said, stumbling on what to say.

Haku just blushed and looked down. Sensei saw our faces and sighed.

"I'm sorry, but this is the only genre left. If it makes you feel any better, I'll give you a song to sing. But you'll _have _to sing something like this."

"Haku, I guess we _have _to sing this," I said to her.

She took a deep breath and said, "I guess..."

"Okay, so this will be your song," Kiyoteru-sensei said, showing us a slip of paper. "Do you know this song well?"

Haku and I nodded as Sensei wrote something down on his clipboard.

"Good! So could you guys perform it in 3 days?"

I looked at Haku and said, "Well, _I _can. Can _you_, Haku?"

"Of course! This song is pretty nice, anyway," she said, smiling a bit.

I smiled back a bit, too. Then, Kiyoteru-sensei said, "Okay then. You two will perform that song in 3 days. And, to be fair, you can get full credit. Good luck."

He nodded and returned to writing things in his clipboard. (I wonder if he ever has to put more paper in there or something...) Haku tapped my shoulder and handed me a piece of paper. Written on it was "sodonokoibito at jmail . com ".

"Your email address?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said, smiling. "Just to stay in touch."

"Oh, I see!"

I quickly tore out a piece of paper from my notebook, wrote down my email, and gave it to Haku. She took one look at it and giggled.

"akagenootoko at jmail . com''? Seriously?" she said, laughing.

"Oh, yeah? What about 'sodanokoibito'?" I said, chuckling.

"Hmm, touche," she said, smiling.

I smirked back at her. Hmm, looks like it won't be so bad, working with that girl.

* * *

"Are you two ready?" Kiyoteru-sensei asked.

For the past 3 days, Haku and I have been practicing a LOT, trying to perfect the song. And finally, our performance has come. We were standing in front of the rest of the class, Haku looking as nervous as ever. Eh, couldn't blame her. _I_ was pretty nervous, too!

"Yeah," I said to him.

"Great! Now, class, pay close attention, okay?"

The class looked pretty... typical when they were sitting like this. Rin and Len laying down on their stomachs, right in front of us. Miku on the desk right next to Rin, holding up her head with both of her hands, smiling. Mikuo next to Miku, leaning on the chair, making it stand on one leg. Neru somewhere in the back, texting away, but still paying attention. Kaito sitting on a desk next to Len, looking at us and smiling, too. Meiko behind the twins, sitting back on a chair with her arms crossed. Luka next to Meiko, crossing her legs as she sat down. And Gakupo right behind Luka, still paying attention to us, but mostly to Luka (he also had on the smile of an idiot).

"Okay!" Rin yelled.

"Oh, what song are they going to sing?" Miku asked, already excited.

Haku and I blushed a bit at that question. (She blushed a bit more, though.)

"Uhm... We're singing 'Last Night, Good Night'...," Haku said.

"Ooh!" the whole class went, causing us to blush more.

"Well, let's get on with it already!" I said, not wanting to blush anymore.

"Fine, fine, Akaito. The floor's all yours, you two," Kiyoteru-sensei said.

"Okay... Ready, Akaito?" Haku asked, smiling nervously.

Trying to lift her spirits, I grinned and said, "Ready when you are, Haku!"

Smiling back, she counted down. "3, 2, 1..."

* * *

"...oyasumi," we sang, finishing the song with a slight note change on her part. (Which sounded great!)

For a few seconds, no one said anything and no one was moving (well, except for Kiyoteru-sensei's scribbling on his clipboard). Then, our class erupted in applause and cheers. At first, we were stunned! But then, the class started to jumped on us (well, Rin and Miku), so we lighted up and laughed with them.

"Akaito! Haku! That was _amazing_!" Miku said, messing up my hair.

"Yeah, that was really good!" Meiko said, giving me a high-five.

"Impressive," Luka said, giving me a smile and a nod.

"Awesome!" Rin and Len said in unison, glomping Haku.

"Ha ha, Rin! Len! Get off! You guys are heavy!" she said, laughing.

Once they got off of her, Neru went and gave a tight hug to Haku. "Great job, Haku," she said.

Haku smiled, "Thank you, Neru!"

As the two exchanged smiles and comments, Kiyoteru-sensei walked up to me and said, "Well, if it isn't obvious, Akaito, you and Haku got an A. Good job."

"Thanks, Sensei!" I said, super happy.

He smiled, nodded, and went back to his desk. And right after that, the bell rang. The class collected their stuff and got ready to go home. After I got my things (or what little stuff I had), I walked over to Haku to talk to her.

"Hey, Haku. I-"

Just then, the door opened, revealing a boy with short yellow hair. He searched the room and seemed to find what he was looking for: Haku.

"Haku! I heard you're singing outside! It was amazing, my darling!" he said, arms wide open, like he was expecting a hug or something. (How about a punch in the face instead?)

I don't know why, but there's something about this guy that pisses me off... _Especially _how he just called Haku "my darling"...

Haku wore a puzzled expression. "Thank you, but... Who are you?"

"Why, you don't remember?" he asked. "It's me! Akita Nero!"

* * *

**And there you go! Thanks for reading!**

**P.S. If you're wondering what Haku's and Akaito's emails mean,  
Haku: sodanokoibito = soda lover  
Akaito: akagenootoko = red-headed guy  
XD  
**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hi again! I know I said that I would post this up in 3 days or less, and I did, but even I didn't expect to post it up this early! That's because my power went out, so I just decided to take the opportunity to write. XD Well, here you go!**

* * *

**Chapter 6 -**

**"Competition"**

"_Nero_?" Haku and Neru said in unison.

"The one and only, baby!" he said with a smirk.

"What are you doing here, Nero?" Neru asked, obviously surprised. "I haven't seen you in years!"

"Well, Auntie wanted to come visit, so we went to your house! But your parents said that you were at school, so I went over here to get you! And how lucky am I, to hear Haku's angelic singing as I crossed the hallway."

He took Haku's hand, bent over it, and kissed it, causing Haku to blush (and causing _me_ to barf).

"Ooh, ooh!" Rin said, walking over here with the rest following her. "Who's this, Neru? He looks a lot like you!"

"This is my cousin, Nero. It seems that he came to visit and flirt with Haku," she said, sighing.

"Haku? You know him, too?" Miku asked.

"Well, a little bit," she said. "When Neru came over to my house when we were kids, he would come with his mom, or Neru's aunt, and pick her up afterward."

"And it was in those short moments we spent together that I fell in love you, my dear Haku," he said, kissing her hand again. (I swear if he kisses her hand _one _more time... Well, let's just say he won't be able to kiss _anything_ for a _long _time.)

"Ooh, Haku! You're Nero's girlfriend?" Rin asked, jumping around.

"Wh-what? I n-never said such a th-thing...!" she stuttered, blushing and looking down.

"Well, you never said anything, but I figured you'd want to," Nero said, raising his eyebrow.

Neru sighed. "When you're done with this nonsense, Nero, I'll be at home."

She walked outside and headed down the hallway.

"Come, Haku! Let us go on a date!" Nero said, pulling her towards the door.

"A _date_?" Haku asked, obviously surprised. (If I was drinking something right now, it'd be _all _over Nero's face right now.)

"Why, of course! Let's go!"

"B-but I-"

Haku was cut off by Nero pulling her down the hallway, without another word.

"Hmm... Well, well, Akaito," Meiko said, smirking, "looks like you've got some competition there!"

"What? What the heck are you talking about, Meiko?" I asked, puzzled.

"Don't deny it, Akaito!" Miku squealed. "You like Haku!"

My face felt really hot, then. "Wh-what? _Me_? Liking _Haku?_ I b-barely know her!"

"I don't think so!" Rin said, waving her finger around.

"Well, you two _have_ been spending the last 3 days together," Len stated.

"Th-that was for a p-project! That doesn't have a-anything to do with anything e-else!" I argued, stuttering for some reason. (Damn stuttering...)

"Yeah, but something might have _clicked _while you spent all that time with her!" Miku said.

"And now there's a new guy, challenging to take your precious beloved away," Len added.

"Oh, it sound just like a romantic love story!" Rin said dreamily.

I looked at them with exasperation. "Y-you guys are so w-weird...! Wh-whatever, I'm leaving!"

Then I stormed out of that classroom, not wanting to hear any more of their crazy deductions.

**After he left the class...**

They watched Akaito leave and then, Mikuo said, "Akaito's _so _jealous of that Nero dude."

"Yeah... Yup...," the whole class agreed, nodding their heads.

"I just hope that he does something to get Haku back," Luka said. "I don't really like that Nero guy all that well..."

The whole class nodded in agreement again. "Oh, I know!" Miku squealed.

"What is it, Miku?"

"Well, Nero's probably gonna 'force' Haku to become his girlfriend, right? So, let's play along and make Akaito _super _jealous!"

"Yeah!" Rin yelled. "That'll make him try to get Haku back!"

Then the two high-fived each other.

Then, for the next few weeks, Haku and Nero were inseparable. (Or well, Nero wouldn't let Haku out of his arms.) After school ended, he would come, saying that he was going to pick up Neru and Haku. Sometimes, I saw those hanging out, Nero's arm around Haku while she blushed extremely. Even the whole class kept saying what a great couple they were! (Which pissed me off to no end...)

I don't know why, but every time they even just mentioned Nero's name, I became so full of... rage! I mean, I don't like the guy, but... I don't know, there's just something that makes me _hate his guts_, _especially _when he's around Haku. It's such a... _foreign_ feeling to me...

One day, I just got so pissed off with all the "Ooh, look, Haku and Nero!" and the "Aw, what a cute couple!", that I just _had _to blow off some steam! I put on my red and black coat and just headed out, just taking a stroll to clear my head.

As I passed the movie theater, I noticed a certain yellow-headed boy arguing with someone.

'Oh, I think that's Nero... Damn yellow-head... (No offense to Rin or Len!) Hmm, it looks like he's arguing with a girl. Probably Haku... Oh, I've _gotta _see this!'

As I walked closer, I noticed that it _was _Nero. But the girl who was with him... She... She wasn't Haku! It was another girl! What was he doing with another girl?

Not wanting to make any false guesses and get in trouble by Haku, I just turned around and walked away. But as I was about to walk away, I noticed that the two stopped fighting. Then, Nero smiled, put his arm around the girl, and... and... _KISSED HER_?

* * *

**P.S. I'm sorry for all the Akita Nero fans out there! I DID NOT intend for him to be such a... jerk! I just needed someone to be a... "rival", if you will, to Akaito, and Nero just fit the part. I have nothing against him in real life! (Wait, he's not even real...) But still! XD**


	8. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the long wait! I'm having writer's block recently. xP But I'll try to complete this as fast as I can! :) But for now, please enjoy chapter 7!**

* * *

**Chapter 7 -**

**"A Turn For The Worse"**

"...so I'll see you later then, Nero?" the girl said, smiling after their kiss.

"Of course, Rika!" Nero said, smirking.

Wait... Is Nero... _cheating _on Haku? What. The. Heck! This guy has _some _nerve to cheat on a girl! Why I oughta... (Yeah, I know I'm a "playboy", but I would _never_ cheat!)

As the girl was walking away, I stepped in front of her.

"Excuse me," I said, guessing that she doesn't know about Haku. "Was that guy you were just with your boyfriend?"

The girl looked puzzled, but she smiled. "Yeah! Isn't he dreamy!"

"I see... Would you mind doing something for me?"

"Huh? What is it?"

"Just follow me."

I walked towards Nero and tapped on his shoulder. He turned around, surprised to see me of all people. (Well, I'm not too thrilled about seeing you either, buddy.)

"Akaito?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just taking a stroll... And _apparently _talking to your _girlfriend_, Rika!" I said, pointing to her.

Nero's eyes widened, a look of nervousness on his face. (Oh yeah, you better be scared!)

Not knowing anything about Haku, Rika smiled. "Is this your friend, Nero? He's nice!"

"Yeah, Nero, _I _am _nice_," I said. "Unlike a certain _someone _here..."

I shifted my eyes to Nero, who looked horribly uncomfortable right now. Rika was just standing, smiling like a complete idiot. (I see you've found quite a genius here, Nero... *sarcasm*)

But then, he laughed nervously and smirked a bit. "Ha ha, A-Akaito! You know what's happening here! I'm sure you've been through this before! Come on, we don't have to tell _her _about this! You're the same as me, so-"

Ticked off, I grabbed Nero by the collar and glared at him. "Don't you _dare _say that I'm like you," I said in a menacing tone. "I know what's happening here, by there's no way that I've been through this before. And if you think that I'm just gonna keep quiet about this to Haku, then you're seriously mistaken."

Nero pushed me away from him. "Dude, what the hell's your problem?" he shouted.

That's when I just broke. "My problem... Is you!"

With as much force as I could put in one fist, I swung my right fist at Nero's face, hitting him right in the nose. Nero fell to the ground, holding his hand over his nose.

"_AHH_!" he yelled, blooding coming from his nose. "My _nose_! You _broke_ my _nose_!"

"Ha, now you won't be able to cheat anymore!"

He looked at me with a puzzled look on his face. "What? That doesn't make any se-"

"_You _don't make any sense!" I yelled back. (Yeah... I don't make sense when I'm angry.)

Nero shook off his confusion and tackled me to the ground, trying to land a punch at me. Once or twice he _did _land a punch, I'll admit. But I _know _I landed much than just _two_ punches on that pretty little playboy face of his. Rika just stood there in horror, not knowing why we were fighting, but too afraid to do anything.

After a few minutes of the two of us throwing punches at each other, I could tell that we were both getting a bit tired. But it looked like Nero was about to give, so I just kept powering away. That's when I heard a terrified shriek near us.

"_AHH!_" she yelled, her yellow-haired friend standing next to her in shock.

"Haku!" we both exclaimed, instantly jumping up from the ground.

"Wh-why...?" she said, shaking.

"Haku...," I said, slowly walking towards her.

"Why are you hurting Nero?" she yelled.

For the first time ever, I saw how Haku looked when she was angry. And I did not like it _one bit_. I flinched a little at her angry tone, but I quickly tried to explain.

"Because!" I said, loudly, but not in a yell. "_He's _hurting _you_."

A look of confusion flashed upon her face. "What... What are you talking?"

"Nero's-"

But before I could start, Nero's hand clamped over my mouth, cutting off my words. He gave a death glare before turning to Haku, an expression of fake reassurance on his face.

"Haku, baby, don't worry about him. I have no idea what's he's talking about!"

He walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She seemed hesitant, but a small smile appeared on her face. Enraged, I stomped over to them, ripping Nero apart from Haku.

"Nero, what the hell?" I yelled in his face. "What do you think you're doing? You can't hide it, you know!"

He snatched his arm back from my grip, looking at me with an annoyed face. "Wh-what? I'm not hiding anything!"

"Oh, _really_?" I walked over and pulled Rika over from the sidelines. "Well, unlike the idiot you who, _I _was smart enough to bring some proof into this!"

Nero looked down, a scowl on his face. "Crap, I forgot about Rika...," he cursed under his breath.

"Who's Rika?" Haku said, now stepping in.

"Yeah, Nero. Why don't you tell Haku who this is?" I said, a smirk already forming on my face.

"I-I have no idea wh-who this is!" he said, lying between his teeth.

I heard Rika scoff next to me, then she went over near Haku. "Well," she said, a scowl directed at Nero. "I _used _to be his girlfriend!"

She stormed off, covering her face to stop tears from falling. Nero just stood there, cursing under his breath a string of... "colorful" words.

"_What?_" Haku yelled at him, grabbing him by the collar. (Now _this _is the kind of angry that I want to see from Haku!)

"N-now H-Haku, calm down!" Nero pleaded, raising his arms in defense.

She released him harshly, him falling on the ground. "Forget it," she said. "We're over. I don't even know why we were together at all!" (Me, either!)

She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her arm. "Wait, Haku!"

"Let me go!"

She tried to yank her arm away, but he was persistent, gripping her arm as tightly as he could. But once I saw a wince of pain flash across her face, I walked over and tapped his shoulder.

"What?" he roared at me.

"Don't. You. Dare. Hurt. Her."

And with that, I swung my right hook at him, causing him to release Haku and fall to the ground. You could see a big bruise on his right cheek, but I couldn't be happier about that. Neru, (who had up to now been watching patiently), grabbed Nero by the collar and dragged him away, saying, "You're coming with _me_, mister!"

'Good riddance!' I thought as I watched them disappear from sight. Once they were gone, I noticed that Haku had just stood there, looking down as her hair covered her face.

"Haku...," I said, walking slowly up to her, this time with concern in my voice.

Suddenly, Haku burst into tears, pulling me into a tight hug and crying into my chest. I was shocked, of course, but I wrapped my arms around her nonetheless. And to admit it, I... I actually kinda li-

"A-Akaito...," she sobbed, interrupting my thoughts.

By instinct, I rubbed her back comfortingly. "Shh... It's alright... I'm here for you, don't worry..."

After a few minutes of crying, she finally pulled away from me and looked at me.

"I just... I just can't believe he'd do that to me...," she said sadly. (I can!) "Am... Am I really that worthless?"

"_What?_" I said, instantly grabbing her shoulders firmly. She looked at me, wide-eyed and shocked.

"You're not worthless! You're... You're amazing! You're the most amazing girl I've ever met! And even though people might think bad about you, I never will! I'll _always_ be here for you, Haku! Promise!"

I shined a bright smile at Haku as a small one slowly formed on her lips, too. A slight tint of red flashed across her face, too, puzzling me.

"Th-thanks, Akaito..."

I pulled her into another embrace, and she happily complied. Then a thought ran across in my mind. Why did I just say those things to Haku? I mean, of course I truly meant them, but why did I feel that way...? I mean- Wait... It... It couldn't be... D-do... Do I l-

Just then, a cellphone rang, interrupting my thoughts. Haku pulled away and checked her ringing phone. Then she looked at me apologetically. I smiled, saying that it was alright. She quickly flipped open her phone, answering it on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" she said.

"Haku!" said an older male's voice over the phone. I could hear him clearly, and he had a sense of urgency in his voice.

"Dell?" she asked, worry raising in her voice. "What's wrong?"

"Haku, come to the hospital, quick."

Haku's face fell then, and so did mine. "Wh-why?"

"There was a car accident. Mom... Mom was in it."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 -**

**"Worse Turns Into Worst"**

In that instant, Haku slammed her phone shut and ran as fast as she could to the hospital. I followed suit, running right on her heels. The hospital wasn't that far away from where we were, so it only took about 5 minutes to get there.

Once we reached the entrance, we heard an ambulance coming to a halt in front. And coming out of the back were a few paramedics, a silver-haired man, and a woman in a stretcher, who I guessed was Haku's mother.

"Mom!" Haku yelled, going to her side.

"H-Haku...," she said weakly, blood dripping down the side of her face.

Tears started streaming down Haku's face, and the silver-haired man started to rub her back, never letting go of his mother's hand.

"D-Dell...," the woman said, turning her head slightly to her son. She was already struggling with her words. "No matter... What... T-take care... Of your sister..."

A lone tear fell from Dell's eye. He looked like he was about to cry, but he managed a smile and said, "O... Okay, Mom. Don't worry, I'll take care of Haku."

The woman smiled weakly before turning back to Haku.

"Haku... Make sure... To treat your brother well..."

"No, Mom! Don't go!" she cried out. "Don't... Don't leave us!"

The woman just kept smiling and said, "Just... Promise me..."

Haku turned to Dell, who sadly nodded. Slowly, Haku turned to her mother and bent down, hugging her.

"Don't worry, Mom... I'll be good to Dell... And everyone else. I promise," she said in between sobs.

"Good... Remember... I love the both of you... _So_ much..."

"We love you, too, Mom," Dell said.

And by that time, their mother had already been entered into the emergency room. The red light flickered on, showing that they had now begun to operate. Haku fell to the ground, sobbing, only to be caught by Dell, who led her back to a chair.

After a few minutes of uncontrollable crying, Haku closed her eyes, trying to rest, though I knew she was still awake.

"Excuse me," Dell said to me. "But who are you?"

"Oh, my name's Akaito. I'm one of Haku's friends," I answered politely.

He just nodded his head thoughtfully. "Dell, Haku's older brother. Hmm... I wonder if you're the one Neru told me about..."

"Excuse me?"

"You see, I don't live with Haku and my mother anymore, but I visit from time to time. And before, whenever I saw Haku, she looked... sad. Not exactly depressed, just sad. But starting a while ago, she started to seem... happier. She would laugh a little more, talk a bit more, and even joke around a bit. Neru told me that it was probably due to the new kid who became Haku's friend. Now, I know her other friends, but I've never met you. So I'm just guessing that _you're _the one Neru's talking about."

I thought for a moment. I couldn't be the cause of that... How could I? But... There's no other new kid around... I guess... Maybe I _did _unconsciously make her happier... But... Why _me_?

"I... I don't know if _I'm_ the one who caused all that... But I _do _know that I was the one who cause Haku and Nero to break up..."

"They broke up?" Dell asked. Then he surprised me by letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness! I never really liked the kid, too much of a show-off." (Finally, someone on the same page!)

"But what did you do to make them break up?"

"I... I fought with him..."

"What? Why?"

"I had to! I saw him cheating on Haku!"

"_He cheated on Haku? _Hmm... Did you mess him up good?" he said with a slight smile.

I smirked and said, "Broke his nose, bruised his face."

"_Nice_," he said, giving me an approving nod. "You know, I think you're alright, Akaito. I'd even be okay with you being Haku's boyfriend."

Heat rushed up to my face. "Wh-what? Wh-what are you t-talking about? I-I never s-said-"

"Dell? Akaito?"

"Haku!" we said in unison.

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked, totally clueless.

"N-nothing!" I yelled while Dell just gave me a smirk.

"Oookaaay then...," she said. Then the atmosphere changed again. "Dell? Do you... Do you think Mom'll be okay?"

He thought for a moment before answering. "I... I don't know, Haku..."

Her face dropped when he said this. "Oh..."

"But no matter what happens, I promised her that I would look after you, which I will."

He pulled her into a tight hug. I stood next to Haku, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"And I'll be here anytime you need me, Haku," I said, grinning.

She was a bit hesitant, but she finally showed a slight smile. Dell was smiling a bit, too.

Just then, the red light of the operation room turned off. The three of us waited in front of the door, anxious to see the doctor. After a few minutes, the doctor stepped out, taking out his gloves drenched in blood.

"You're the children of the this woman, correct?" he asked.

"Yes," Dell answered. "What's her condition, doctor?"

The doctor didn't answer, he just sighed. "I'm sorry... She... She didn't make it."

He slowly walked away, giving us time to register what we had just heard. Haku's mother... Her only parent left... _Died_ in a car crash...

Then, it all seemed to happen at once. Haku fell to the ground, sobbing even harder than she had before. But the sadness I saw from her face suddenly turned to rage, as she yelled, not loud, but it sure was passionate.

Dell tried to calm her down, but she just knocked him away from her. And before I could even react, Haku had grabbed something from a nearby table and ran outside, into the pouring rain.

I didn't understand Dell's horrified look in his eyes until I realized what had just happened.

Haku had just run outside. With a _scalpel_ in her hands.

* * *

**Wow, the last chapter's coming up already... Well, I just wanna thank everyone who have been reading, reviewing, a- Wait, I should save this for the last chapter! xD **

**So, what will happen now? What does Haku intend to do with that scalpel? Whatever it is, it sure can't be safe! And will Akaito try to stop her? Or... Will he even be _able _to stop her? Find out next time on the last installment of: "Fire & Moonlight"! xD  
**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 -**

**"A Deal"**

"Haku!" I yelled out, ignoring the passing stares of the hospital staff.

I ran as fast as I could, trying to grab Haku, but she was just out of my reach. Finally, she stopped out in front of the hospital. She was just standing there, in the pouring rain. I ran up near her, careful to put some space between us so that she wouldn't be angered.

I couldn't see her face, because her back was to me, but I could still hear her crying softly.

"Akaito...," she croaked, her back still facing me. "I... I can't take it anymore..."

"What are... What can't you take anymore?" I asked cautiously.

"I'm worthless, everyone around me knows it."

"Haku, I-"

"Don't even try, Akaito!" she said, spinning and facing me. She was still clutching the scalpel, causing a look of worry on my face.

"I _am _worthless! I a_m_ good-for-nothing!" she yelled at me. Then, she looked down, and I could hear her sobs once again.

"_That's_ why Nero cheated on me. _That's _why my dad died before. It's even why my mom died just now!"

"Haku, don't say that. There's nothing that you could have done about those things. It's not in your control," I said, reaching out a comforting hand to her.

She just smacked my hand away, like she did to Dell.

"No, it's all my fault! _I_ caused all those things to happen! If... If only I wasn't so worthless... If only... If only wasn't even born!"

Then, she raised the scalpel, aimed it straight at her heart, and plunged it. You could see the scalpel tear right through the skin, blood covering that area.

A moment of silence passed until I saw Haku's eyes slowly open. She quickly turned her eyes to the scalpel, then to me.

"A-Akaito!" she screamed.

I looked down and saw what she screamed at, then I groaned in pain. It seems that in the split second that the scalpel was about to pierce Haku's heart, I instinctively jumped forward, crashing into her. We both fell on the wet grass, small drips of blood covering some of the grass.

And seems that the scalpel, originally aimed at her heart, had tore deep at my right forearm.

Back to reality now. Haku was looking at me, a horrified look on her face as I clutched my bloody arm.

"A-Akaito, I... I...," she said, at a loss of words.

"It's... Alright, Haku. This isn't gonna kill me," I said, a smile smile on my face.

"I know, but... I never... I never wanted to hurt anyone...," she said, burying her face in her hands. "I just wanted... I just wanted to make them happier by not being here anymore..."

I sat up next to Haku, ignoring the intense pain in my arm. I would fix up later, since we're at a hospital anyways. I gently lifted her chin with my good arm, making her look at me.

"You don't want to hurt anyone? You want to make people happy?" I asked her.

She slowly nodded her head, looking at me with puzzled eyes.

"Then _don't _kill yourself!" I said, looking at her with fiery eyes.

This seemed to confuse her. "Wh... What? B-but..."

"If you kill yourself, you'll end up hurting everyone around you!" I said sternly. "And they'll be sad because you're gone! Haku, if you kill yourself, you'll be doing the exact _opposite_ of what you want to do!"

After I said that, it seemed to hit her. She realized how big a mistake she was about to make. Her eyes stared at me for a moment, watering a bit. Then, she burst into sobs, burying her head in my chest.

I was surprised, but I comforted her, rubbing her back and laying my head on hers.

"I-I'm sorry, Akaito... I never meant... To hurt you, or anyone else... I just..."

"Shh... It's okay, Haku. It's all okay now. I'm here, don't worry."

She just nodded and continued crying. After a few moments, I started to speak up.

"Hey... Haku?"

"...Yeah?"

"Do you... Remember that bet we made before?" I asked, staring up at the rain.

"...The one we made when we first met?" she asked, still clutching at my chest.

"Yeah, that's the one... Well, I think its safe to say that you won."

"What... What do you mean?"

"I mean what I say! You won the bet! You got a guy to seriously like you before the end of the year. You even got him to love you...," I mumbled.

She looked up now, confused. "What are you talking about? N... Nero never loved me..."

I sighed in exasperation. She was making so much harder than it already was! So, I just decided to come out and say.

"I'm not talking about_ that _idiot! I'm talking about _me_! _I_ am in love with you, Haku!"

Once I heard her gasp, I instantly regretted what I just said. How could I be so stupid? Of _course_ she doesn't feel the same way! And she just broke up with Nero! _Plus_, she just tried to _kill_ herself! What _great _timing I have...

"I'm so sorry, Haku! I didn't mean to just put you on the spot like that! My mouth just-"

"You...," she started, looking down at the ground.

"Huh?"

"You won, too... You _also _got a girl to seriously fall in love you..."

No way... Is she... Is she saying what I _think _she's saying?

"Haku... What... What are you trying to say?"

She looked back up at me, then she smiled a smile that made my heart beat incredibly fast.

"What I'm _trying _to say is that... I love you, too, Akaito."

My eyes widened, but joy quickly overtook me as I crashed my lips onto Haku. I felt her stiffen at first, but then she ended up returning the favor.

When we parted less than a minutes later, we both took a moment to stare straight into each others eyes, as if saying that we were both waiting for this for a _long _time.

"You know... We never really discussed on what what would happen if one of us lost the bet," she said, a slight smile on her bright red cheeks.

A smile spread across my face, too. "Well, since we both lost..."

I quickly caught her off guard, pulling her in a tight hug.

"How about you be mine forever, and I'll be yours?"

"Not much of a punishment now, is it?" Then she laughed softly and tightened her grip on me. "But, I'll guess we have deal."

* * *

**Thanks to all of you guys for reading my story! I hope you enjoyed it! I sure enjoyed it! This couple is so cute, and I hope you all think so, too. ^_^ Well, goodbye for now!**


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